Wonderful plot, solid writing, riveting characters, and beautiful insight into life in England in the 12th Century.

Only criticisms I have are that the technical rants about cathedral building sometimes went on too long, and that the end of the book could have come earlier. Despite the drawn out ending, many character conflicts were appropriately resolved.

One of my favourite reads!

It's been now two years since I have read The Pillars of the Earth. What a great book!! One of the best books I have ever read. The beginning is a bit slow though. The reader of this book must be patient because it is a very long book with its 974 pages, but it is certainly not a waste of time. The whole story is thrilling and the history base line is nothing but a masterpiece. Truly a book of his own. I recommend this book to everyone!!

This is by far one of the best books Ive ever read. Staged around the 1100's, the book is full of treachery, despair, love, hate, and everything inbetween. Explictly details the hard times of the old ages, and terrible things people had to go through, but when good things come to the ones who finally deserve them it makes it that much better.

Mr. Follet really does a wonderful job creating and developing the characters throughout the story. It is true to history as it can be, with Kingsbridge being a fictional town (therefore any historical events occuring in Kingsbridge are also fictional), based on the fact that the building of large cathedrals took many decades. The author does an amazing job of character development; sometimes a bit over-despcriptive, he goes into great and vast quantities of detail about what the characters think and feel as they interact with the world around them. Although it seemed a tad long, there is nothing that should be removed. Anyone who enjoys historical novels, period dramas, architecture, the Middle Ages, history in general, or even simply intelligent and mature writing, should most definitely pick up this gem and enjoy what a wonderful world Ken Follet has created.

What a fantastic book! I agree it can be a bit harsh to read at times. The storyline and intertwining of the characters in each others lives keeps me turning the pages. Don't let the size of this book disourage you, it is well worth it!

A friend recommended Pillars of the Earth to me. I am so glad she did. I loved Pillars of the Earth. Great from start to finish. A must read. I recommed this book to everyone. I will be reading World Without End.

Not what I was expecting...lots of action-always keeps you guessing! I would absolutely recommend this book!

I became obsessed with the story from the momment that I picked this book up. I love how women are described as powerful and strong. Ken Follett has become a favorite author of mine and I will be reading more of his work in the future.

What a great book! Great storyline with unforgettable characters.

This is the first book I've read by Ken Follet, but absolutely love his writing - he has great insight into people and has a way of making the reality of life in the 1100's become real to the modern reader. It seems Follet can take any topic and make it so interesting that one has a hard time putting the book down. I definitely plan on reading the sequel, World Without End.

Pillars’ was wonderful! This book had great colourful characters, great detail and great research that kept me reading for hours! I really cared about the characters and really enjoyed the story.

I read this book a few years back and now it is out as a series on TMN. One of the best books I have read. Could not put it down.

This was one of those books that you wish you could read for the first time - all over again. I couldn't put this one down - I enjoyed the entire experience of reading this book. I fell in love with each and every character and their lives. The story was fascinating and moving - lots of twists, which keeps you glued to every page. Memorable.

This is definitely a historical fiction. The setting is England during the years 1132 - 1174 or thereabouts.
This book is written so that there are a variety of vantage points provided in the telling of this story. Both young and old, as well as the priviliged and the pious are well represented. We are also taken on a journey through time, so that when we meet Jack, who is one of the main characters, we see how he changes from being a little "wild" boy, to being a man.
It is definitely a long book, but I found myself drawn to it, and enjoyed reading it. I enjoyed the story line. The symbolism of the building of the cathedral was apparent. And for me, this made the book not just a story about building a cathedral, but about life and people and the era in which this book is set. The evil vs. good theme was also apparent in this book, and although it was easy to flow with this theme, it was also written well, so that it was entertaining.
The book has many other themes as well, love, hate, revenge, greed, victory, tragedy, success, etc. There is lots of interest in this book, and I highly recomend it.

Very much enjoyed this book! I loved how the characters came to life and how I felt anger at their misfortunes. It was very well written and I couldn't put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good descriptive story. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the amount of detail used to describe the construction of the cathedral, however I would not let this discourage anyone from reading it.

I could not put down the book. It is intriguing, takes twists and turns, well detailed and beautifully written. It catches your attention and interest, and voila, you're in for a great voyage. It's a must read

I absolutely loved this novel. I never would have imagined a book so immense could be so fast paced and action packed. Every single page had action, excitement and twists. This book is remarkable on how it ties in so many little details with one another. It is a true masterpiece and I am sad I am finished it.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is a masterpiece of historical fiction. The setting is the fictional town of Kingsbridge spanning the years 1135-1174.
While the main plot surrounding the building of the first Gothic Cathedral in England may sound boring, it is far from.

Although this book was well written, I found it difficult to get and stay into it. I committed to reading some pages once a week when all of the kids were in bed. I needed the quiet to really throw myself into the characters and story line. I found nothing predictable (which is a great thing).

Wow, I can't believe I've finally finished this book! Every page was so incredible that it was intoxicating sometimes and I just couldn't put down the book! I couldn't believe how real everything seemed!
Even though most of the people were fictional, the book felt so real that I thought for a minute that I was reading some form of historical files that were compiled into one story. It shows how much research went into this story and how much Ken Follett likes that time period.The characters were so detailed that you really feel like you know them.
Each character was so detailed and so intricate to the plot line. It feels like you know them really well because when some major events happen, you hear them from multiple points of view, so you feel like you know exactly how everyone is affected by the events that take place.
The Good vs. Evil theme is perfect for this novel. Not just because it is present in everyday life, but it's significance in the Bible. Jesus is always fighting evil and trying to make good in the world, just as Prior Philip tried to do with Kingsbridge.
William Hamleigh was probably the most evil character in the novel. Even though Waleran Bigod was pretty awful, he saw the error of his ways, even though it took him a long time. No, William was just about as bad as you can get. There were so many times that I wished that I could just jump into the page and slap him in the face! He was so awful, I nearly cried when he hurt Aliena and Richard. I was so glad that he got what he deserved and that Aliena was there to see the man who had tortured her for so long finally be punished for his evil ways.
Kingsbridge proiry's cathedral is so meraculous and I can just imagine it due to the incredible explinations that we get from Ken Follett. It's amazing how something that was merely a hbby, turned into a passion which helped him create this novel. I saw a really big church once which was designed cathedral style and now I wish I could go back there again now that I know what goes into a real cathedral. The amount of detail that goes into building one is astounding and I hope that in future travels, I will see one that would match Kingsbridge.
The love that was shown between Jack and Aliena as well as Tom and Ellen was a beautiful addtition to the novel. I loved thinking about how much they loved each other. Even though there were some scenes that got a little racey. I liked how even though there was so much about politics and religion, there was a love story there too. I guess that's why it all seemed so real. There is never a time where there is no love in the world.
I also loved how we get to watch little Jonathan grow up with the monks and eventually become Prior. Even though it did cause some issues with the legitimacy of Jonathan, I was glad that he did eventually find out who his true father was, because Tom Builder loved him untill the day he died.
This book was so incredible. Even though it was really long, I can't imagine it any shorter. Follett did such an amazing job at really making you feel like you were in Medeival times that it's almost a let-down when you stop reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind a little bit of ludeness and wants a really great read that they can be totally absorbed in. What a GREAT novel!